1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image storage apparatus and method for use in a camera and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for storing live view images in a camera device with an indication of the progress of storing the image.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typically, a camera device or a camera-equipped mobile terminal displays a live view image in a preview mode in which the camera is running. In the preview mode, the camera device performs size and color conversion on the image input from the camera to generate a predetermined image format. In the preview mode, if the user pushes the shutter button, to activate a shutter on or shutter release function, the camera device performs a focusing operation to acquire the image focused with preset parameters. The image acquired in this way is processed and compressed to be stored in a memory.
When storing the still image captured in the preview mode, the camera device has to perform the focusing operation and image processing (e.g. Analog to Digital conversion), and the control unit of the camera device has to perform a complex operation control, whereby a delay in storing the image in the memory is created. The user may check the operation of the camera while the camera device captures an image and stores the image in the memory. However, since there is no way of checking the time taken for capturing and storing an image in the preview mode, the user may push the shutter button repeatedly for continuous photographing before the previous photographing process has been completed and, this may cause a failure in acquiring an intended still image.